Introduction

The legal permission granted in the traditional framework of Islamic theology for establishing sexual relations with "owned" or "possessed" slave girls is, by the definition of modern human rights and bodily autonomy, directly and with total clarity counted as "sexual slavery" and "systematic rape". In the various verses of the Quran, the fundamental source of Islam, sexual relations with war captives or purchased women alongside free wives have not only been morally sanctioned, but have also been declared a right granted by Allah, a "halal" act, and a work and system of earning "sawab" or reward. (( Surah Al-Mu'minun verses 5-6 )) (( Surah Al-Ma'arij verses 29-30 )) (( Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 50 )) (( Surah An-Nisa, verse 24 )). These verses are founded upon an inhuman philosophy of ownership, in which one person's absolute dominion over another person's body is glorified within a "sacred" legal framework. Analysing the translations of quran.com (( quran.com )), the hadiths, the seerah, the fiqh and the classical books of tafsir makes it clear that these rulings were introduced precisely to give religious legitimacy to the tribal warfare and plunder of that era. From a rationalist viewpoint, no eternal morality can turn human dignity into a commodity; rather, these texts are plainly a reflection of the patriarchal and brutal slave culture of the seventh century.

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The Statements of the Scholars About Intercourse with a Slave Girl

When modern Islamic da'is and scholars explain the matter of "enjoying" the captive women of seventh-century warfare, they often launch a strange attempt to justify it as the "reality" of that time or as "rescuing helpless women". But by the measure of reason and global human rights, these arguments are completely hollow and self-contradictory. To regard a captive woman as "ghanimah property" or the loot of war is not merely moral decay; it is a historical manifestation of institutionalising non-consensual sexual oppression. In no healthy, reason-based social framework can one person's body be defined as a "reward" for another. Let us learn from the sermons below what "arguments" the so-called scholars put forward behind this primitive ruling of "enjoying" kafir women. First, let us hear a sermon about how this systematic rape of kafir women is in fact their punishment for kufr,

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Now let us analyse some statements of Ahmadullah and other scholars, in which, on the pretext of prohibiting free mixing of men and women, they declare human love and romantic relationships to be completely haram, while at the same time regarding the enjoyment of a sex slave as the supreme moral ruling granted by Allah. They try to justify such a slave system as a "system", which is in reality nothing but another name for erasing the human identity of woman:

https://youtu.be/_91dFHdPMbk

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Transacting a human being as a "gift" is a punishable crime in modern morality. Yet in Islamic history we see that the Prophet Muhammad himself accepted women or slave girls as gifts, and sexual intercourse with them was considered lawful, which is equally applicable in Islamic Sharia even today. Listening to the account of Maria al-Qibtiyya in Mizanur Rahman Azhari's speech, one understands how a human life was transferred like a mere inanimate object:

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How terrifying a form this mediaeval outlook can still take is understood when a modern Pakistani Muslim imagines "booking" foreign women as "ghanimah property" in the context of war. This proves that these religious teachings still sustain gendered violence and inhuman lust in the human subconscious:

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What the Quran Says - Intercourse with a Slave Girl

In various verses of the Quran, two specific sources have been mentioned for satisfying men's sexual lust: first, the lawfully married wife; second, the "possessed slave girl" (ma malakat aymanukum) acquired through war or purchase. What modern morality calls "sexual slavery" (Sexual Slavery), the Quran has not only made lawful, but has presented as a completely normal social system. Analysing these verses shows that in the so-called divine ruling, the primary criterion of the sexual relationship was not woman's "consent" (Consent), but man's "ownership". From a rationalist viewpoint it is clear that these rulings are not part of any eternal morality, but merely a tool for perpetuating the seventh-century tribal war economy and patriarchal consumerism.

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Surah Al-Mu'minun, Verses 5-6

In these verses, "guarding the private parts" has been mentioned as a condition of the believers' success. However, the amusing thing is that slave girls have been completely excluded from this obligation of guarding. That is, believing men can have sexual relations with as many slave girls as they wish besides their wives, and for this they will not be condemned in the slightest by society or God. This proves that slave girls or captive women were regarded not as complete human beings, but merely as "sexual property".

Who guard their private parts.
Tafsirul Quran
And those who restrain their private parts –
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
And those who guard their own private parts.
Rawai Al-bayan
And those who keep their private parts preserved (1),
Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria

Except from their wives and the slave girls whom they own, for in that case they are free from blame.
Tafsirul Quran
Except from their wives or the slave girls under their possession; in this they will not be blameworthy.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Except their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for indeed in that they will not be blamed.
Rawai Al-bayan
Except their wives or the slave girls under their possession; in this they will not be blamed (1),
Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria

Surah Al-Ma'arij, Verses 29-30

In these verses too, "guarding the private parts" has been mentioned as a condition of the believers' success. However, the noteworthy point is that slave girls have been completely excluded from this obligation of guarding the private parts. That is, believing men can have sexual relations with as many slave girls as they wish besides their wives, and for this they will not be condemned in the slightest by society or God. This proves that slave girls or captive women were regarded not as complete human beings, but merely as "sexual property".

Who guard their private parts
Tafsirul Quran
And those who restrain their private parts.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
And those who guard their private parts.
Rawai Al-bayan
And those who guard their private parts (1),
Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria

Except their wives or the slave girls under their possession apart from, because in that they will not be reproached,
Tafsirul Quran
Except their wives or the slave girls under their possession – except in this case, they will not be blameworthy –
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Except their wives and the slave girls whom their right hands own apart from. Then in that case they will not be blameworthy.
Rawai Al-bayan
Except their wives or the slave girls under their possession apart from, in this they will not be blamed—
Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria

Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 50

In this verse, a list of special sexual privileges has been given for the Prophet himself. Here, "fay'" or kafir women acquired without battle have been made "halal" for the Prophet. A captive woman, whose tribe and family may have been killed in war, whose home has been destroyed – instead of showing her compassion, allocating her body for the victor is the ultimate form of primitive barbarism. In the light of modern human rights, this is counted as a "war crime".

O Prophet (peace be upon him)! I have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have paid the dower; and made lawful for you those who have come under your ownership from what Allah has given you as fay' (acquired without battle), and the daughters of your paternal uncles and paternal aunts, the daughters of your maternal uncles and maternal aunts who migrated with you. And if any believing woman offers herself to the Prophet and the Prophet wishes to marry her, that too is lawful – this is especially for you, excluding the believers, so that you have no difficulty. I know what I have ordained for the believers concerning their wives and slave girls. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Tafsirul Quran
O Prophet! I have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have paid the dower and made lawful for you those who have come under your ownership from what Allah has given you as 'fay'' and made lawful for marriage the daughters of your paternal uncles and paternal aunts, maternal uncles and maternal aunts who have left the country with you, and if any believing woman offers herself to the Prophet and the Prophet wishes to marry her, she too is lawful. This is especially for you, not for the other believers; so that you have no difficulty. I know what I have ordained for the believers concerning their wives and the slave girls under their ownership. Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
O Prophet, I have made lawful for you your wives to whom you have given the dower, and I have made lawful for you those among what Allah has given you as fay'* who have come under your ownership and (made lawful for marriage) the daughters of your paternal uncles, paternal aunts, maternal uncles, maternal aunts who migrated with you, and if any believing woman dedicates herself** to the Prophet and the Prophet wishes to marry her, she is also lawful for him. This is especially for you, not for the other believers; I certainly know what I have ordained for them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands own; so that you have no difficulty. Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful. * 'Fay'' is the wealth of the kafirs acquired without battle.
Rawai Al-bayan
O Prophet! We have made lawful for you your wives, to whom you have given the dower, and made lawful for you those who have come under your ownership from among those whom Allah has given you as fay'. And made lawful for marriage the daughters of your paternal uncles and paternal aunts, maternal uncles and maternal aunts who migrated with you, and (made lawful) such a believing woman who dedicates herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet wishes to marry her--- this is especially for you, not for the other believers; so that you have no difficulty. We certainly know what We have ordained for the believers concerning their wives and the slave girls under their ownership (1). And Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria

Surah An-Nisa, Verse 24

Verse 24 of Surah An-Nisa exposes one of the most controversial and darkest aspects in the history of morality. Here, sexual relations with married women have been made haram, but one hideous concession has been granted – if that woman is acquired as a "possessed slave girl" on the battlefield. That is, the Quran is directly legalising snatching a married woman from her husband and, against her will, making her the bedfellow of a new master. This is not only an extreme violation of human rights, but also proves that the theologians of that era institutionalised wartime sexual violence under the cloak of religion.

Women already married are also forbidden to you, except the slave girls under your possession, Allah has made these ordinances obligatory upon you. It has been made lawful for you to enter into marriage bonds with all other women besides those forbidden to you, in exchange for dower money, not for illicit sexual relations. Then for those of them whom you have enjoyed, give them their prescribed dower. There is no sin upon you if, after the dower is fixed, you mutually agree to change the dower amount; surely Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.
Tafsirul Quran
And married women among the women have been forbidden to you; but those whom your right hands possess - Allah has prescribed them for you, apart from these, other women have been made lawful for you; you may seek them with your own wealth for the purpose of marriage, not of fornication; then, for the pleasure you have enjoyed from them, give them their prescribed due, and there will be no sin if, after the fixing, you mutually agree; surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
And (forbidden are) married women from among the women. However, those (slave girls) whom your right hands own are exempted. This is the ruling of Allah upon you, and all women besides these have been made halal for you so that you may seek them with your wealth in marriage, not in illicit sexual conduct. So give those of them whom you have enjoyed their prescribed dower. And there is no sin upon you concerning that in which you mutually agree after the determination. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.
Rawai Al-bayan
And among the women, all married women except the slave girls under your possession (1) are forbidden to you; these are the rulings of Allah upon you. It has been made lawful for you to marry, at the expense of wealth, women other than those mentioned, not for illicit sexual relations. Those of them whom you have enjoyed, you shall pay their prescribed mahr (2). There is no blame upon you if, after the mahr is fixed, you mutually agree on any matter (3). Surely Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.
Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria

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The Hadiths - Intercourse with a Slave Girl Is Halal

An impartial analysis of the applied evidentiary foundation of Islamic theology, the science of hadith, shows that in that seventh-century tribal social system, sexual dominion over war captives or purchased women was an extremely regular and institutionalised matter. Where the modern concept of "bodily autonomy" rejects any kind of coercion or imbalance of power, the narrations of the hadiths define women merely as a "means of fulfilling men's sexual needs". Even the Prophet Muhammad himself kept slave girls or "umm walads" and had sexual relations with them, which in that era was not a moral deviation but had become a religious right. (( Sunan an-Nasa'i, Islamic Foundation, Hadith: 3961 )) (( Sunan an-Nasa'i (IF), Volume 4, Page 106 ))

Publisher: Islamic Foundation
Book: Sunan an-Nasa'i (IF)
Chapter: 37/ Treatment of the wife (كتاب عشرة النساء)
Hadith number: 3961
3961. Ibrahim ibn Yunus ibn Muhammad al-Harami (may Allah have mercy on him) ... narrated from Anas (RA). He said, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had a slave girl with whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to have intercourse. Aisha (RA) and Hafsa (RA) kept pressing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) over this. Finally, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made that slave girl haram for himself. In this connection, Allah the Exalted revealed: (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكَ) "O Prophet! Why do you make haram for yourself what Allah has made halal for you (Surah At-Tahrim: 1).
Hadith status: Sahih (Authentic)
Tahqiq: Sahih.

From a logical and sceptical viewpoint, the above narration is highly significant. Here we see that even though the Prophet vowed to stop enjoying the slave girl due to the mental anguish or jealousy of his wives, he is again being commanded through the so-called "divine revelation" to engage in sexual intercourse with that slave girl (( The Story Behind the Threat of Divorce to the Prophet's Wives )). This indicates that in the theological system of that era, man's sexual "right" was so absolute that women's human emotions or consent had no place there. Even in a narration of Sahih Muslim concerning Maria al-Qibtiyya (who was the Prophet's gifted slave girl), one sees a person's life or death being determined merely on the basis of sexual jealousy or slander, which in a modern judicial system is counted as an ultimate violation of human rights and barbarism. (( Sahih Muslim, Islamic Foundation, Volume 6, Page 285 ))

Sahih Muslim (Islamic Foundation)
51/ Repentance (Tawbah)
Section: 11. The harem of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) being cleared of suspicion
6766. Zuhayr ibn Harb (may Allah have mercy on him) ... narrated from Anas (RA). He said, an accusation (slander) was raised against a man concerning the umm walad of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Ali (RA), Go. Strike off his head. Ali (RA) went to him and found him cooling his body in a well. Ali (RA) said to him, Come out. He stretched out his hand to Ali (RA). He brought him out and found that his male organ had been cut off, he had no penis. Then Ali (RA) refrained from killing him. Then he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, O Messenger of Allah! He is one whose organ has been severed, he has no penis.
Hadith status: Sahih (Authentic)
Narrator: Anas ibn Malik (RA)

These historical sources prove that Maria al-Qibtiyya and her son Ibrahim were the product of a slave-based sexual relationship, in which Maria was not given the status of the Prophet's "wife", but lived her entire life as an "owned" woman. By the measure of modern science, this is a clear example of demeaning human biological dignity. (( Sahih al-Bukhari, Tawhid Publications, Hadith: 1382 ))

Sahih al-Bukhari (Tawhid)
23/ Funerals (Janazah)
Section: 23/91. What has been said concerning the (minor) children of the Muslims.
1382. Narrated from Bara' (RA). He said, when (the Prophet's son) Ibrahim (RA) died, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: For him there is a wet nurse in Paradise. (2355, 6190) (Adhunik Prakashani: 1291, Islamic Foundation: 1299)
Hadith status: Sahih (Authentic)
Narrator: Bara' ibn Azib (RA)

When, in the light of reason, the matter of guarding the "private parts" or privacy is permitted to be left open only before one's wife and slave girl, it makes clear that the slave girl or female slave was not given the honour or right to privacy of a free human being. This is the manifestation of a deep social division and dehumanisation, in which a person's body has been defined merely as an object of the master's enjoyment. (( Sunan at-Tirmidhi (Tahqiq), Hadith: 2769 )) -

Sunan at-Tirmidhi (Tahqiq)
41/ Etiquette (Adab)
Section: 22. Guarding the private parts
2769. Narrated from Bahz ibn Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) successively from his father and his grandfather. He said, I asked, O Messenger of Allah! How much of our private parts should we cover and how much may we keep open? He said: Guard your private parts from the sight of everyone except your wife and slave girl. He asked again, What if men are sitting together? He said: Do your utmost so that no one can see your covered parts. I asked again, But a man is sometimes alone as well. He said: Allah the Exalted has more right to be regarded with shyness (than people).
Hasan: Ibn Majah (1920)
Abu Isa says, this hadith is hasan. The name of Bahz's grandfather is Mu'awiyah ibn Haydah al-Qushayri. Al-Jurayri narrated the hadith on the authority of Hakim ibn Mu'awiyah. He is Bahz's father.
Hadith status: Hasan (Good)
Narrator: Bahz ibn Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him)

Even in the narrations of the Companions, although relations with married women have been declared haram, even there a hideous concession has been granted for "possessed slave girls". This means that after winning a war, snatching another's wife and making her one's bedfellow was not considered immoral in the least. This is in extreme contradiction to the modern Geneva Conventions or wartime human rights, and in the reasoning of modern civilised humanity it is nothing but another name for rape ((
The Fate of Civilian Women and Children in War: Ghanimah Property or Plunder in Islam )). (( Sahih al-Bukhari, Tawhid Publication, Hadith: 5105 )) -

Sahih al-Bukhari (Tawhid Publication)
67/ Marriage
Section: 67/25. Which women are halal to marry and which women are haram to marry.
وَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ وَعَمَّاتُكُمْ وَخَالاَتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ الأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ الأُخْتِ) إِلَى آخِرِ الآيَتَيْنِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: (إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا).
Allah the Exalted says: "Forbidden to you are your mothers and daughters, sisters, paternal aunts, maternal aunts, brothers' daughters and sisters' daughters, foster mothers, foster sisters, mothers-in-law, and the daughters of the wives with whom you have consummated marriage who are under your guardianship - surely Allah is All-Knowing and Most Wise."(Surah An-Nisa 4/23-24)
وَقَالَ أَنَسٌ: (وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ) ذَوَاتُ الأَزْوَاجِ الْحَرَائِرُ حَرَامٌ إِلاَّ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ لاَ يَرَى بَأْسًا أَنْ يَنْزِعَ الرَّجُلُ جَارِيَتَهُ مِنْ عَبْدِهِ.
وَقَالَ: (وَلاَ تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكَاتِ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَّ).
وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ مَا زَادَ عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ فَهْوَ حَرَامٌ، كَأُمِّهِ وَابْنَتِهِ وَأُخْتِهِ.
Anas (RA) said, by the words (وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ) it is meant that marrying free married women is haram; but using a purchased slave girl is not haram. If a person takes a slave girl divorced from her husband and then uses her, there is no harm. In this connection the word of Allah: "Do not marry polytheist women until they believe."(Al-Baqarah: 221) Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said, marrying more than four is as haram or unlawful as marrying one's own mother, daughter and sister.
Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said, marrying seven women by blood relation and seven by marital relation is haram. Then he recited this verse: "Forbidden to you are your mothers." (Surah An-Nisa: 24)
'Abdullah ibn Ja'far (may Allah have mercy on him) bound in marriage simultaneously the wife[1] and daughter of 'Ali (RA) (they were both stepmother and stepdaughter). Ibn Sirin said, there is no harm in this. But Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) did not initially like this opinion; but later he said, there is no harm in this. Hasan ibn Hasan ibn 'Ali married two cousins at the same time in one night. Jabir ibn Zayd regarded it as makruh out of fear of severing ties; but it is not haram. As Allah the Exalted says, "And all other women besides these are made halal for you." (An-Nisa: 24) Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said, if someone has illicit sexual intercourse with his sister-in-law, his wife does not become haram for him.
Sha'bi and Abu Ja'far said, if someone commits sodomy with a boy, then his mother will become haram for him to marry. Narrated from Ikrimah (RA)... Ibn 'Abbas (RA). He said, if someone has sexual intercourse with his mother-in-law, his wife does not become haram. Abu Nasr narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (RA) that it will become haram. 'Imran ibn Husayn (RA), Jabir ibn Zayd (RA), Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) and some Iraqis narrated that the marital bond with his wife will become haram. In the above matter, Abu Hurayrah (RA) said that the marital bond with the wife does not become haram until one has illicit sexual intercourse with his mother-in-law. Ibn Musayyib, 'Urwah (RA) and Zuhri said that keeping relations with the wife in this state is lawful. Zuhri said, 'Ali (RA) said, it does not become haram. There Zuhri's statement is mursal, i.e., Zuhri did not hear this from 'Ali (RA). (Adhunik Prakashani - section, Islamic Foundation - section)
[1] During the lifetime of Fatimah (RA), 'Ali (RA) did not marry anyone. Later he married.
Hadith status: Sahih (Authentic)
Narrator: Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA)

The most terrifying human degradation is observed when sexual relations with a slave girl are glorified not as a mere physical urge, but as a "sadaqah" or act of reward. When an exploiter sees enjoying the body of the exploited (the slave girl) as a means of Allah's pleasure, the moral foundation of that theological framework collapses. This bestows a religious sanctity on coercive sexuality, which from the viewpoint of modern psychology is the master's one-sided mental and physical oppression over the slave, and by the yardstick of twenty-first-century morality it is ultimate savagery. (( Mishkat al-Masabih (Mishkat), Hadith: 1898 )) (( Mishkat al-Masabih (Mishkat), Adhunik Prakashani, Third Volume, Page 183 )) -

Mishkat al-Masabih (Mishkat)
Part-6: Zakat
Section: 6. First paragraph - The dignity of sadaqah
1898-[11] Narrated from Abu Dharr (RA). He said, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Every 'tasbih', i.e., saying SubhanAllah, is a sadaqah (charity), every 'takbir', i.e., saying Allahu Akbar, is a sadaqah (charity), every 'tahmid', i.e., saying Alhamdulillah, is a sadaqah (charity). Every 'tahlil', i.e., saying 'La ilaha illallah', is a sadaqah (charity). Commanding good deeds and restraining from evil deeds is a sadaqah (charity). Intercourse with one's own wife or with one's slave girl is also a sadaqah (charity). The Companions submitted: O Messenger of Allah! Will one of us get a reward even for satisfying his lust? In reply the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Tell me, if a person satisfied his lust through haram means, would he not be a sinner? In the same way, the one who satisfies his lust through halal means (with his wife or slave girl) will get a reward. (Muslim)[1]
[1] Sahih: Muslim 1006, Ahmad 21482, Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi 7823, Silsilah as-Sahihah 454, Sahih at-Targhib 1556, Sahih al-Jami' as-Saghir 2588.
Hadith status: Sahih (Authentic)

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Slave Concubinage in the Books of Tafsir: The Institutional Form of Sexual Slavery

The books of tafsir are extremely important for understanding the application and interpretation of Islamic law. From the way these commentators have interpreted the ambiguous verses of the Quran, it becomes clear that in mediaeval Islamic thought, the woman's body was regarded as merely a political and military commodity. Where the modern 'Geneva Convention' guarantees the humane dignity of prisoners of war and protection from sexual violence, the classical tafsirs have established the rape of captive women (which they define as 'intercourse') as a lawful right.

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Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Ownership Versus Rights

What the renowned exegete Ibn Kathir said in his explanation of verses 5-6 of Surah Al-Mu'minun is, by the yardstick of modern morality, extremely inhumane. According to his explanation, for believing men there is no difference between a wife and a slave girl in satisfying their lust. In rational analysis it is clear that here "ownership" or "the right of the right hand" denotes a structure of power in which a person's consent or dissent has no value. Becoming the sole owner of a person's private parts merely through buying or conquering that person cannot be any "divine justice"; rather, it is a reflection of a primitive plunder culture. (( Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Islamic Foundation, Seventh Volume, Pages 514, 519, 520 )) -

Similarly, what Ibn Kathir has described in his tafsir of verse 24 of Surah An-Nisa is even more horrifying. There it is clearly stated that even if captive women are married, they remain "halal" or consumable for their new Muslim masters. This ruling is an extreme axe-blow on the sanctity of marital relations and the consent of woman. In modern law this is counted as a "war crime" (War Crime), but in the tafsir it has been presented as an act of reward. (( Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Publications Committee, Volumes 4,5,6,7, Page number: 343 )) -

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Tafsir al-Jalalayn: The Ultimate Document of Inhumanity

The extreme cruelty hidden behind the term "right hand" or "owned" is exposed in Tafsir al-Jalalayn. Jalaluddin Suyuti and Jalaluddin Mahalli have explained most shamelessly that even if the husband of a woman is alive in a non-Muslim country or "Dar al-Harb", if the woman is captured in war, consuming her is lawful. This is nothing other than a legal framework of systematic mass rape.

From the viewpoint of human rights, these verses and tafsirs are not any eternal humane message. Rather, they prove that the Quran was deeply influenced by the war culture of a specific time (the seventh century) and a specific geographical region. When, in the modern era, these verses are claimed to be "unchanging". Then that directly threatens the foundations of human rights and human dignity in the present world. If the Quran is unchangeable until the Day of Judgement, then these horrifying interpretations of the exegetes will be considered an extreme moral bankruptcy for modern Muslim societies.(( Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Islamia Kutubkhana Publication, First Volume, Page number 795, 797 )) -

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Tafsir-e-Mazhari: The Religious Legitimacy of Plunder

The same barbaric custom has been repeated in Tafsir-e-Mazhari as well. There too, sexual dominion over married war captives has been made permissible. Such texts prove that the theologians of that era bestowed a divine glory upon the matter of distributing the woman's body as the plunder of war or 'ghanimah property'. In the light of modern psychology, such rulings are nothing but a cruel instrument for gratifying the lust of victorious soldiers. (( Tafsir-e-Mazhari, 3rd Volume, Pages 16-17 )) -

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Conclusion: Moral Bankruptcy Versus Modern Humanity

Analysing the evidentiary facts and historical narratives above, it becomes as clear as daylight that in the Islamic ruling system, enjoying the body of a 'slave girl' was not merely a common custom; it was a systematic sexual slavery (Sexual Slavery) legally sanctioned. The Prophet Muhammad and his followers not only kept this custom in force, but institutionalised it religiously by marking it as "halal" and "an act of reward". Islam has not only made lawful the chaining of captive women into the chains of sexual slavery and their rape, it has also made lawful by Sharia selling them off in the market like cows and goats (( The Last Nail in the Coffin of Humanity: The Slave-Girl Market in Islam and the Open Auction of Women's Bodies )). In the view of modern rationalism and human rights, these inhumane aspects of this system directly challenge the foundations of modern civilisation.

In modern morality, 'consent' (Consent) is the fundamental basis of any physical relationship. Yet under the Islamic Sharia, a slave girl has no right over her own body; the owner's right there is as absolute as over 'commodity' or 'property'. Forcing someone into a sexual act against her will is, by the modern definition, rape, which in Islam has been given legal sanction wrapped in the garb of religion (( Rape of Slave Girls in Islam: Is Consent Required in Intercourse with a Slave Girl? )). Regarding the war captives as 'ghanimah property' and, even while their husbands are alive, turning them into the bedfellows of new owners is an extreme axe-blow on human self-respect. This is directly and completely contradictory to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (( According to Islam, the Satr or Veil of a Slave Girl Is from the Navel to the Knees )).

When Islam is claimed to be an 'unchanging' and 'eternal' ideology, a risk is created that these mediaeval barbarities may also be considered lawful for the present age. Accepting such texts as 'divine' is itself denying the moral progress of modern civilisation. In rationalist analysis it is clear that these rulings of the Islamic slave system and sexual relations are not any divine justice; rather, they are the ultimate expression of the dark and patriarchal tribal culture of the seventh century. In the light of science, reason and modern human rights, these institutions are not merely uncivilised or barbaric; by the verdict of modern morality this is a great dark chapter. For the sake of upholding human dignity, directly rejecting and discarding such mediaeval beliefs is the only path for developed and civilised societies.